Chapter 100: Similiarities..

The Abyssal Seed floated silently in the center of the chamber, surrounded by the seven Pantheons and Akira. Its enormous crystal body continued to glow with a gentle blue light, while countless objects slowly orbited around it like celestial bodies.

Wias stepped forward and stared at the massive crystal. The magical energy surrounding the Abyssal Seed was so dense that even breathing felt different, as if every breath carried a trace of magic into their bodies.

"EVERYONE READY?" Wias asked, before slowly raising his hand and placing it against the Abyssal Seed. The moment his palm touched the crystal, his hand began to glow, illuminating the entire chamber.

The objects orbiting around the Abyssal Seed suddenly began spinning faster and faster. Their movements became increasingly violent as streams of magical energy were pulled toward the center, concentrating directly into the enormous crystal.

The speed continued increasing until everything suddenly stopped.

Cracks began forming across the surface of the Abyssal Seed, spreading in every direction like shattered glass. For a brief moment, nothing happened, but the pressure inside the chamber continued building until it became almost unbearable.

BOOM!

A violent explosion of magical energy erupted from the Abyssal Seed, sending a powerful shockwave through the entire chamber. Everyone immediately held their stances, struggling to prevent themselves from being blown away by the sudden outburst.

The shockwave did not stop there.

The force traveled through the earth and spread throughout the surrounding land, causing the ground to tremble and sending ripples of magical energy across the world. Animals fled from their surroundings, trees shook violently, and countless people looked toward the ground in confusion as they felt the strange disturbance beneath their feet.

Akira was struggling the most.

Her eyes had already become bloodshot as she desperately tried to absorb the overwhelming magical power pouring out of the Abyssal Seed. Her entire body trembled under the pressure, and every breath felt like it was being squeezed out of her lungs.

"UGH...!"

Akira gritted her teeth and forced herself to remain standing. She could barely control the energy entering her body, but she refused to retreat while the Pantheons continued absorbing the power around them.

Calean, on the other hand, appeared to be the most composed of them all. He stood directly in front of the Abyssal Seed with his arms crossed, calmly enduring the energy that would have sent ordinary beings flying.

The others were also struggling to maintain their positions. The magical outburst was not necessarily overwhelming enough to destroy them, but losing focus for even a moment would cause the pressure to knock them away.

The Abyssal Seed continued cracking.

More and more magical energy poured into the chamber until the crystal could no longer contain it. The enormous structure finally shattered, releasing the concentrated magical power accumulated over centuries.

The Pantheons immediately absorbed the energy.

For what felt like an eternity, the chamber remained filled with a violent magical storm. Their bodies continued drawing in the power until the storm slowly weakened and the overwhelming pressure finally began disappearing.

When everything finally settled, the Abyssal Seed was gone.

Only fragments of crystal remained scattered across the ground.

The Pantheons looked at one another, each of them silently realizing the same thing. Their bodies felt different, and the magical power flowing through them was significantly greater than before.

"We should test it," Wias said, looking toward the others. "Let’s go somewhere empty."

Everyone agreed, and the group quickly flew away from the underground chamber toward a barren area far from any civilization. They needed a place where they could freely test their newfound power without accidentally destroying anything important.

"I can feel it."

Odir twisted his arms before gripping his two axes tightly. His muscles bulged as he gathered the newly acquired power within his body, and with a powerful swing, he brought one of his axes crashing toward the ground.

BOOM!

The earth split apart beneath the impact, creating a massive crack that stretched across the barren landscape. Rocks and dirt were launched into the air as the force of the attack carved a deep scar into the ground.

"That much power?" Odir stared at the destruction with wide eyes. "With just one swing?"

The others immediately began testing their own abilities after seeing the result. They quickly realized that the Abyssal Seed had not simply increased their magical reserves, but had also amplified the strength of their existing abilities.

Catalyst raised his hand, and an enormous wave of cold spread across the surroundings. The ground instantly froze beneath his feet as thick layers of ice rapidly covered everything around him.

Trias followed, releasing her own frozen magic into the area. The two abilities spread across the landscape, freezing the surroundings so quickly that even the air seemed to become cold.

"I can feel a considerable difference," Catalyst said while observing the frozen landscape. Trias looked at her own hands and nodded, realizing that her power had also increased significantly.

Calean decided to test his physical abilities next.

He suddenly disappeared from his original position and reappeared hundreds of meters away. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked back at the place where he had been standing only moments ago.

"My speed has increased."

Calean clenched his fist and felt the power flowing through his body. His attack potency had also increased considerably, making the difference between his current strength and his previous strength impossible to ignore.

Olium raised his hand toward the sky.

Thousands of spears suddenly appeared above him, filling the air with weapons formed entirely from his magical power. He stared upward in surprise, realizing that he could now create an enormous number of spears almost instantly.

"I can create thousands at once? instantly?"

Before absorbing the Abyssal Seed, creating such a number would have required considerable concentration and effort. Now, however, they appeared almost naturally, as if his increased magical capacity had removed the previous limits.

Moleius remained relatively quiet as he tested his own abilities. He carefully observed the changes in his magic, analyzing every difference, while Wias did the same and began considering the possibilities this newfound power could provide.

Akira looked down at her own hands.

Her magic had undoubtedly become stronger, but when she compared herself to the Pantheons around her, the difference was still obvious. She sighed and accepted the reality without much complaint.

"Mine improved too," Akira said, looking toward the others. "But compared to you guys, it’s not even worth mentioning."

For a moment, everyone was filled with confidence.

They had absorbed centuries of concentrated magical power, and every one of them could feel the enormous improvement. After everything they had experienced, it seemed as though they had finally obtained the strength necessary to confront the threats threatening their world.

That confidence only grew when they began fighting the creatures wandering through the surrounding wilderness. One after another, the creatures were killed in a single attack, with the Pantheons effortlessly tearing through enemies that previously would have required far more effort.

Odir crushed creatures with his axes, Catalyst froze entire groups, and Olium filled the sky with countless spears. Calean moved so quickly that many enemies were killed before they even realized he had appeared.

They continued attacking creature after creature.

Every victory made them more confident.

But that confidence quickly began to disappear.

The black voids suddenly appeared across the battlefield, spreading their unnatural darkness through the sky. At first, the Pantheons assumed that another wave of creatures was coming, but the presence that emerged from those voids immediately made them realize that something was different.

A significantly larger threat emerged from the darkness.

The creature’s enormous body towered over the surrounding landscape, and its presence alone caused the magical energy in the air to tremble. The Pantheons immediately became cautious as they felt an overwhelming pressure radiating from the creature.

Wias stared at it.

Something about that power felt familiar.

Calean’s expression slowly changed as he sensed the same thing. The energy radiating from the creature was not completely different from their own.

"It has the same energy..."

The realization spread among them.

They attacked anyway.

The Pantheons unleashed everything they had gained, sending enormous waves of magic across the battlefield. Mountains of ice erupted from the ground, thousands of spears filled the sky, and devastating attacks tore through the surrounding landscape.

But none of it was enough.

The creature overwhelmed them.

One by one, the Pantheons were struck from the sky, their bodies falling toward the ground despite everything they had gained from the Abyssal Seed. Their newfound strength had allowed them to survive longer, but it had not been enough to overcome the creature.

Odir fell first.

Then Olium.

Moleius and Catalyst followed, their bodies crashing into the ruined landscape. Trias was eventually struck down as well, leaving only a few of them still fighting.

Calean continued moving through the battlefield while Wias desperately tried to find a way to resist. Akira struggled alongside them, but the difference in power was simply too great, and one by one, they were defeated.

As their bodies fell from the sky, there was only one realization that remained in their minds.

The power they had absorbed from the Abyssal Seed was not unique to them.

The enemy possessed a similar energy.

And that was the last thing they understood before they fell.